Machine for folding cloth blanks.



No. 699,!92. Patentd May 6, I902.

c. H. KNAPP. MACHINE FOR FOLDING CLOTH BLANKS.

7 (Application filed Jan. 17, 1902. (No Model.) 3 Sheets$heet l.

WIEES. v I HINVEINTORQ Patented May 6,1902.

c. H; KNAPP MACHINE FOR FOLDiNG GLOTH BLANKISJ (Application flle d Jam17, 1902.)

3 Sheets8heet 2.

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Q n. c, rm: mums PETERS co. no'rouma, yvwlum'ou No. 699.!92. PatentedMay 6; I902.

v C H. KNAPP. MACHINE FOR FOLDING CLOTH BLANKS.

- (Application filed. Jan. 17, 1902.) I (No Model.) 3 Sheets$heat 3.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR W l g a g I ATTORNEYS;

RRIS PETERS co, FHOY0-LITHO., WASHINGTUN u. c

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

CHARLES H. KNAPP, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR FCLDIN G CLOTH BLANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 699,192, dated May 6,1902. Application filed January 17, 1902. Serial No. 90,105- (NO mOdBLTo all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. KNAPP, a citizen of the United States,residing in Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines forFolding Wristbands; and I do hereby declare the fol: lowing to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersandfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to machines for folding collars, cuffs,wristbands, and other similar articles; and. it consists in an improvedconstruction of the machine of this nature patented to me by UnitedStates Letters Pattent No. 668,920, February 26, 1901.

My improved machine is designed principally for folding wristbandshaving rounded corners, but may be used for folding other articles, suchas those above mentioned, of substantially similar shape withoutaltering the construction or general principles of operation materially.

Theinvention will be found fully illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view of my improved machine. Fig. 2is a top plan view thereof, slightly enlarged. Fig. 3 is a view in frontelevation of the die. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the die proper't'.e., of the die with its operating mechanism removed. Fig. 5 is a topplan view of said die proper contracted, with the sliding plates foractuating the dieplates removed. Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a pair of thedie-plates, Fig. 6 being a plan view and Fig. 7 a sectional Viewontheline w a: in Fig.6; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a certainlatch.

a is the framework of the machine, and b I the bed, the lattersnrmounting the framework and being provided on its under side with theusual centrally-disposed heat chest or, chamber 0, adapted to beconnected by pipesd with a steamzor other generator of a heat-carryingmedium.

On the top of the bed I) is arranged at the front middle portion thereofa folding-plate e, and at the back thereof two other foldingplates f,one of which has its top surface recessed, as at g, for the reception ofa coincident guiding lug or projection h on the other foldin g-plate f.The plate e has pairs of guideslots c, arranged parallel with the sidesof the bed 6, while each of the folding-plates f has similar guide-slotsj, said slots j of the plates f being disposed in reversely obliquedirections. (See Fig. 2.) The outermost slots of the several plates arepenetrated by guiding-bolts is, projecting upfrom the bed 6, while theirinnermost slots. are penetrated. by bolts Z, which project down throughthe bed and are free to move vertically only. The lower ends of theselast-mentioned bolts are connected by links 112, the several links beingadapted to sustain a claw; rt. To the claw is centrally connected avertical shaft 0 whose lower end is in turn connected with a depressingmechanism consisting ofa lever 10 and a treadle q, fnlcrumed in theframe, and a connecting-link r. The arrangement is such thatbydepressing the treadle q the inner edge portions of the severalfolding-plates will exert pressure on the bed?) or an article disposedbetween them and said bed. A spiral spring 8, connecting the treadle qwith the frame, normally maintains the treadle 8o raised, andconsequently keeps the pressure off the folding-plates. E

t designates three shafts which are journaled on the under side of. thebed I) and are connected by intermeshing bevel-gears u, which theycarry. The shaft 25, which is adjacent the frontof the machine, carriesat one end a crank o, from which the series of shafts is'actuated; Ateither of its two lim- I its of motion this crank takes against a spiralb spring-buffer w, carried in a socket 00, formed on a bracket y,projecting from the frame:

'work a, which bracket being secured to the framework by a slot-and-boltconnection 2; is thus made vertically adjustable. The front 5 and rearshafts tcarry cams 1, received by forked projections 2, secured tothefQldingplates f by screws 3, and extending downwardly throughopenings 4 in the bed. Thus by operating the crank the folding-plates frco may be moved inwardly or outwardly on the bed I). It should beremarked that the front folding-plate e andthe left-hand rearfolding-plate f have devices 5, connecting them with their neighboringplates to the right in the manner and for the purposes fully set forthin my patent aforementioned. 6 is an arm which is fulcrumed at 7 at the5 back of the bed I), and whose free end is formed with a head 8, havingan integral cross-piece 9. To the ends of the cross-piece 9 are rigidlysecured by nuts 10 the studs 11 of a guide-plate 12. This guide-plate isprovided with relatively reverse series of oblique slots 13, the slotsof the series being preferably alined and alternating with each other,as shown in Fig. 5. In these slots work the rigid upwardly-extendingpintles 14 of the contractile die-plates 15. The upper ends of thesepintles are received by cross-slots 16 in actuating'plates 17, whichmove in a groove 17 in the guide-plate 12 and have longitudinal slots18, receiving the studs 11 and permitting an inward and outwardrectilineal movement of said actuating-plates. The tops of the pintlescarry screws 19, whose heads keep the several parts in place. Theactuating-plates l7 carry at their inner ends other pintles 20, whichwork in eccentric slots 20 in a disk 21, carried by a shaft 22, which isjournaled in the head 8 of the arm 6, and is adapted to be turned by ahandle 23.

In folding narrow articles, such as wristbands, it is necessary that thedie plates should be contracted into a very small compass. For thisreason, and as best shown in Fig. 6, I cut away practically all of eachdieplate except the edge portion thereof and two or moreinwardly-projecting tabs or ears 24. The tabs or cars on the opposeddieplates are arranged out of coincidence with each other so as not tointerfere, and in order to bring the inner edges of the two platesreferred to into the closest proximity said tabs or cars are elevated soas to overlap the opposite die-plate. Said tabs or ears carry thepintles 14. The meeting edges of the several die-plates, it should beremarked, overlap each other even in their most expanded position, (thetwo die-plates shown in Fig. 6 being abnormally separated.) It shouldalso be remarked that the die-plates are shaped so as to togethercorrespond substantially to the outline of the article which is to befolded.

The arm 6 has an integral rearward extension 25, having a detachablebracket 26, which forms therewith a guide or runway 27 for the rollers28 of a traveler 29, said traveler being connected with a crank 30,formed integrally with the handle 23 by a pitman 31, pivotally securedat its ends to these parts. The traveller is connected with theframework a by a spiral spring 32.

33 is a book, which is also formed integrally with the arm 6 and isadapted to engage a latch or detent 34, pivoted in the bed I) andnormally resting in a substantially horizontal position therein when thearm 6 and the parts it carries assume the position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 1. A tappet 35 on the rear shaft 15 is adapted to engage a ing36, ex-

tending from the latch, so as to elevate said latch and so release thehook 33. When the arm 6 and the parts it carries are thrown into theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, a spiral spring 37, carried bythe hook 33 and adapted to engage the bed 1), serves as a stop orbuffer.

38 represents gages each having flanges 39, arranged at right angles toeach other, each gage being secured on a corresponding folding-plate fby a slot-and-pin connection 40, which permits an adjustment of the gagein the direction of movement of said plate. The operator sets his workin position for folding by these gages.

In operation the material to be folded is laid on the bed I) with itsedges slightlyoverlapping the folding-plates e andf. At this time, ofcourse, the folding-plates are retractedt'. 6., in their outermostpositionsand the die and its accessory parts thrown into the dotted-lineposition illustrated in Fig. 1. until it rests on the material. Itshould be remarked that so long as the folding-plates are retracted totheir full extent the die can be lowered to rest on the bed I), thoughexpanded to its full extent. The crank 11 is then thrown over into theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, causing the folding-plates eand f to move inwardly. This operation efiects the folding of the edgeportions of the material around the edges of the die-plates, and itshould be remarked that preferably and by a proper arrangement of thecame 1 the folding-plates may be made to move inwardly in a successiveor substantially successive movement. The operator then draws the handle23 toward him, causing the disk 21 to revolve and through it and itsconnections with the die-plates the contraction of said die-plates. Whenthe die-plates have been withdrawn to their full extent, the die may beelevated from the material, whereupon the operator may, by pressing downon treadle q, apply the pressure to the foldingplates necessary toproperly crease the material where folded. While the folding-plates arein their innermost position it is desired that the arm 6 carrying thedie (which is at this time in dotted-line position illustrated inFig. 1) should be positively looked back. Otherwise aninexperienced orcareless operator might accidentally permit the die to fall, causing theedges of the die-plates and folding-plates to strike against and damageeach other. Therefore when the die is thrown back at the point in theoperation above referred to the book 33 engages the latch 34 and sokeeps the arm and die elevated, and these parts cannot again be returnedto the lowered position until, in retracting the folding-plates f, thelug 5 has caused the latch 34 to release the hook.

The die expanded is then lowered The traveler 29 is of value as acounterbalance for the die, which latter may be thus raised and loweredby the operator with great is lowered.

facility. The peculiar connection between this traveler and the handle23 is' a very practical and convenient factor in the operation of theparts involved. The spring 32 not only acts with a counterbalancingeffect on the die, but tends to keep it. open ready for the next foldingoperation whenever the die It is to be understood that where the termssupport and movable support are used hereinafter in some of the claimsthe bed I) and the arm 6 of that embodiment of my invention which isshown in the accompanying drawings are intended to be respectivelycomprehended.

Having thus fully described-my invention, what I claim as new, anddesireto secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1; In a folding or othersubstantially similar machine, the combination, with a support, ofanother and movable support, coacting forming means, a part of saidmeans being mounted on said first-named support and the rest on themovable support, andmeans, controlledfr'om the portion of saidforming'means on said first-named support, for lockingthe movablesupport ina retracted position, substantially as described. t

2. ha folding or other substantially similar machine,'-thecombination,=-with a support, of anotherand movable support, coacting'forming devices, a part of said devices be ing mounted on saidfirst-named'support and the rest on the-movable support,lmeans foractuating the formingdevices on said firstnamed support," and means,controlled from said actuating-means, for locking said movable supportina retracted position, substantially'as described.

3. In' a folding or other substantially simi lar machine,--thecombination, with a support, of another and fulcrumed supp0rt,'c0

acting forming -devices,-a part of said devices beingmounted onsaid-first-named sup-"- port and the rest' on the fulcrumed support,

means for-actuatingthe formingdevices on said first-named support, ahook on saidful cru'med support, and a movable locking-detent adapted toengage said-hook, said detent being controlled'from saidactuating means,

substantiallyas described.

4. In a-folding or other substantially similar machine, the combination,with a bed, of a fulcrumed s'upport, movable folding-plates mounted-onsaid bed,-acontracti1e-die car-- ried'by' said support and adapted tocoact with said foldingplates,-means for actuating said folding-plates,-a tappet movable with a partofsaid actuating means, and a' movabledetent,"said detent being-adapted to engage said support in its-elevatedposition and said tappet'being adapted to move said detent-outcombination of a fulcrumed arm, a tool car-- ried'by said arm-and=comprising a movable part, a guide projecting-from the'fulcrum ofsaid arm, a counterbalancing traveler arranged tomove on said guide, andoperative connecting means between 'the traveler and the movable part ofsaid tool,'substantially as described. p

6. In a folding or other similar machine,the combination of a fulcrumedarm, a tool carried by said arm, a rotary handle forsaid tool, a guideprojecting from the fulcrum of said arm, a counterbalancing travelerarranged to move on said guide, and operative connecting means betweensaid traveler and the handle, substantially as described.

7. In a folding or other similar machine, the combination of a fulcrumedarm, a contractile die carried by saidarm, a rotary handle for saidcontractile die, a guide projecting from the fulcrum of said arm, acounterbalancing traveler-arranged to move on said guide,-op.erative'connecting means betwe'ensaid traveler and the handle, andaspring controlling said traveler, substantially as described.-

8. In a folding or other similar machine, the

combination of a fulcrumed armhaving a Y scribed.

9. In afolding or other similarmachine, the combination of afulcrumed'arm, a movable partcarried by said arm a guide-projecting fromthe fulcrum of said arm,-a-movable coun- 'terbalancing device arrangedon the guide and operative connecting means between said movabl'ezpartand said=counterbalancing de-- -vice, substantially as described.

10. Ina contractile die, the combinationot die-plates arranged tomove-in: a common plane into close proximity to each-other and of eachplate being arranged out of the plane,

the other -plate,and a slotted guiding part receiving said projections,substantially asdescribed.

11. In a contractile die, the combination ofdie-plates arranged. to movein a common and out of opposition to the: projections, of:

plane and into close proximityto each other,-

* the'adjoining portions of saidplates -being cutaway to formalternatingspaces and-projections, and the projectionsofeachplate beaing'arranged out of the plane,.andopposedto thespaces, of the otherplate, and-a slotted guidingpart receiving said projections substantially as described. s 1

the; adjoining portions of =said plates .being cut awayto formalternating spaces and pro-r.

j ections, and the projections Of'eachpl-atebeing arranged out of theplane,'and opposed :to

the spaces, of thefotherplataa slotted guiding too part receivingsaidprojections, asupport carand out of opposition to the projections, ofrying said guiding part, and sliding plates the other plate, and means,engaging said engaging the projections of and adapted to projections,for guiding said plates, substanactuate said die-plates and guided insaid tially as described. 15 guide-plates, substantially as described.In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 13. In acontractile die, thecombination of have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of die-platesarranged to move in a common January, 1902.

plane into close proximity to each other and CHARLES II. KNAPP. havingprojections extending from each of Witnesses: 10 said plates toward theother, the projections JOHN W'. STEWARD,

of each plate being arranged out of the plane, JAMES B. NEWTON.

